Fresh violence erupted unexpectedly in the Holy Land on Saturday, when Palestinian Hamas militants launched a surprise attack on Israel, firing hundreds of rockets and making armed incursions into Israel.

Israel immediately launched retaliatory air strikes, and the nation’s prime minister has said the country is at war.

Unconfirmed reports suggest more than 400 Palestinians have been killed in southern Israel and the Gaza Strip and dozens captured. Some 300 Israelis have been reported killed, and dozens kidnapped, according to some Israeli sources.

“Please stop the attacks and the weapons,” Pope Francis pleaded on Sunday, “and understand that terrorism and war do not lead to any solution, but only to the death and suffering of so many innocent people.”

“War is always a defeat! Every war is a defeat!” he insisted.

Speaking after the Angelus prayer on Sunday, the Holy Father said he is following “with apprehension and sorrow,” the latest news from Israel, “where violence has erupted even more ferociously, causing hundreds of deaths and injuries.”

He expressed his sympathy to the families of victims, and said he is praying for them and for “all those who are experiencing hours of terror and anguish.” The Pope invited everyone to pray for peace in Israel and Palestine.

The Carmelites of Australia & Timor-Leste are joining with Pope Francis and many throughout the world in praying for a peaceful and lasting resolution of this conflict.

Vatican News